As you might have guessed from the 'topic' line, I'd like any input on the Austro-Daimler Armoured Car of 1904, please. For such an historically significant vehicle, there's a surprising lack of information. Of the very few photos on t'internet, most are taken from more or less the same position and/or are the same photo. I don't recall ever seeing any drawings of it, odd artists' impressions are taken from familiar photos, and actual data (dimensions etc.) is sorely lacking.

The photo below shows the turret with two machine-gun apertures, and I have a vague recollection of either more than one vehicle being made, one with a single-gun turret, one a twin, or just the one vehicle on which they tried two different turrets. Again, though, I can't remember!

Any info, drawings, photos etc. would be very welcome, to be added to the increasing amount of stuff in my Things To Model One Day folder...

You are correct, there were two versions, The Austro-Damiler Panzerwagen of 1904, with the single machine gun turret, and the version in your photo is the Austro-Damiler Panzerwagen of 1905 with the twin machine gun turret. I have a good bit of information on these vehicles, I will try to post it today, or tomorrow

Incidentally, I'm sure that in a spaghetti western I saw on TV many many moons ago, set in Mexico or somewhere, there's an armoured car which looks very much like a mockup of the Austro-Daimler... Am I imagining it, or was there really one? Spaghetti western fans, maybe you know!

This vehicle was made an Italian firm as 1:35 metal and plastic model in the '80s and was very high quality. The car (a reproduction) was also in a film called 100 Rifles which was from the '60s. I think I have book all about Austro-Hungarian vehicles that says something about it so will look about.

Nice couple of nuggets of info there Lusitanio, many thanks! I've just looked up '100 Rifles' on IMDB. I see one of the characters is a German officer, hence, I presume, the presence of the Daimler! Good cast, actually...

Another thing I recall is that the car was a four-wheel drive. All in all, rather a good design, I would have thought.

>Incidentally, I'm sure that in a spaghetti western I saw on TV many many moons ago, set in Mexico or somewhere, there's an armoured car which looks very much like a mockup of the Austro-Daimler... Am I imagining it, or was there really one? Spaghetti western fans, maybe you know!<

That movie is "Duck You Sucker!", a.k.a. "A Fistful of Dynamite". It was directed by Sergio Leone, the genius behind "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly", etc. It actually shows the Austro quite a bit, even though (in the movie), it's in Mexico, being worked by a German crew! Not to mention all the Maxims, Mausers, Steyrs and a whole plethora of other WW1-era equipment that show up in the movie. Plus the movie itself is excellent, I highly recommend it. Hope that helps!Matt

Paul Daimler, who was the son of the famous Gottlieb Daimler was the chief engineer of the Osterreichisches Daimler Motoren AG until 1905, it was under his supervision that the Austro-Daimler Armoured Car was built. This vehicle had a specification including four wheel drive, an enclosed hull of a curved shape, and a dome-shaped rotating turret.

The engine was a 35 hp Daimler: driven by shafts and differentials at the front and rear. The armour was 3-3 1/2 mm.and the turret was 4 mm. This inturn keeped the weight to around 3 tons. The Armoured Car also showed a reasonable ability to climb hills.

Seats for the driver and co-driver could be raised or lowered by about 12 inches, so that when not in action the driver/co-driver could see over the top of the armour.

This was a big help in being able to see how to drive, due to the poor visability inside the vehicle, when it was all closed up for action.

The turret was originally built with the idea of having just one port, for the Maxim water cooled machine gun. In 1905 this idea was changed, and two slightly smaller ports were added, two be able to carry two Maxim's side by side.

The Austro-Daimler was demonstrated to the German Imperial Army at the Kaiser Manoeuvres of 1905, and again to the Austo Hungarian Army at there Manoevres of 1906. But it was surprisingly not adopted by either country. They Austro-Daimler also has the dubious honor of being the first turreted armoured car.

Matt, looks like you're right, many thanks! I remember it now - James Coburn as the ex-IRA bomber and Rod Steiger as his comical, dodgy sidekick. I'll have to hunt that out. And on this poster, you can see the car...